The irrationality of human confidence that an ageless existence would be better.

Theoretical medicine and bioethics Pub Date : 2024-08-01 Epub Date: 2024-06-18 DOI:10.1007/s11017-024-09674-2
Susan B Levin
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Abstract

Transhumanists and their fellow travelers urge humanity to prioritize the development of biotechnologies that would eliminate aging, delivering 'an endless summer of literally perpetual youth.' Aspiring not to age instantiates what philosopher Martha Nussbaum calls the yearning for 'external transcendence,' or the fundamental surpassing of human bounds due to confidence that life without them would be better. Based on Immanuel Kant's account of the parameters of human understanding, I argue that engineering agelessness could not be a rational priority for humanity on the level of public policy. This stance is complemented by an argument focused on individual decision-making in liberal-democratic milieus, where no governing conception of the good is presumed and the first-personal level matters greatly. Here, drawing on philosopher and cognitive scientist Laurie Ann Paul's concept of 'transformative experience,' I maintain that individuals could not 'rationally,' meaning, here, 'prudentially,' say 'yes' to agelessness. Absorbing the irrationality of human zeal to eliminate aging, based on assurance that an ageless existence would be better, should spur a redoubled dedication to human flourishing.

人类认为不老的生活会更好的非理性自信。
超人类主义者和他们的同路人敦促人类优先发展能够消除衰老的生物技术,带来'无尽的夏天,真正的永葆青春'。渴望不衰老,这正是哲学家玛莎-努斯鲍姆(Martha Nussbaum)所说的对 "外部超越 "的渴望,或者说是对人类极限的根本超越,因为他们相信没有极限的生活会更好。基于伊曼纽尔-康德(Immanuel Kant)对人类理解参数的论述,我认为,在公共政策层面上,工程无龄化不可能成为人类的理性优先事项。在自由民主的环境中,没有任何关于善的支配性概念,第一人称的层面非常重要。在此,我借鉴哲学家兼认知科学家劳里-安-保罗(Laurie Ann Paul)的 "转换性体验 "概念,认为个人不可能 "理性地",也就是 "审慎地 "对 "不老 "说 "是"。人类热衷于消除衰老,并确信不老的生活会更好,在此基础上吸收人类热衷于消除衰老的非理性,应促使人类加倍致力于人类的繁荣。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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